there’s a problem. I’m the doctor in this Pack.”
Gareth walked toward Jason and crossed his arms. “You don’t think I’m capable of letting you know if she sprouts two heads?”
Jason straightened, the hot feel of his aggression prickled along my skin. At least it took his mind off being concerned about me dying during my first full moon.
“It’s not that simple.” Jason’s voice was low and menacing, not like the quick thinking doctor I’d spent time with over the past few weeks. “We don’t know how Fonthill’s bite will affect her. She could suffer a brain hemorrhage or an outburst of paranoia. I’m pretty sure you’re not equipped to handle that.”
“Give me a little credit.” Gareth’s jaw twitched as he ground his teeth. “You’d be surprised what I can handle.”
“All right, stop it.” I winced as an invisible vise tightened on my head. “If I do have some strange reaction, we don’t even know if you can treat it with medicine. If this is going to be my one and only shift, I don’t want to do it with a bunch of guys who are so worried about me that I can’t tune it out. Is that too much to ask?”
“Sorry.” Jason met my eyes. “I was just… Why him?”
“Why not? Are you surprised I chose the only one of you that isn’t part of a matched set?” All werewolves were born as male twins. I guess I’d been so wrapped up in dealing with my new…situation, that I hadn’t given it much thought. What happened to Gareth’s twin?
Adam stepped up beside me, interrupting my thoughts. “Your sister will kill us all,
“I know but standing around watching me isn’t going to keep me safe, either. Go do your wolf thing.” I lifted my head a little, hoping they wouldn’t notice my knees were starting to tremble. Something was happening to me.
After a tense moment, Adam scanned the rest of the Pack. “Go ahead to the lake. I’ll be right behind you.” He turned to Gareth, clasping his forearms in the traditional greeting of the Pack. “If there’s any sign of trouble, howl, and we’ll haul our asses back here in a heartbeat.”
Gareth nodded. Adam walked over and pulled me into a hug. I closed my eyes, grateful for the comfort. He and his twin Aren were quickly becoming the big brothers I’d never had. He whispered against my ear. “It hurts like hell, but there’s no better rush on earth than running with the wolves.”
“I’ll be fine.” My skin started to itch. “See you soon.” I left off the
He nodded and jogged into the darkness.
Wiping sweat from my forehead, I did my best not to stumble on my way over to a nearby boulder to sit.
“Why me? That twin excuse is bogus and you know it,” Gareth said.
For a moment I had forgotten I wasn’t alone. I looked up at him, unsure how to answer his question. Gareth was everything I wasn’t. My eyes were green; his were as black as a moonless night. My fair skin practically glowed in contrast to his, and tattoos wound around his biceps. I usually enjoyed the company of others, and Gareth seemed happy to stay in the shadows and keep his distance.
He looked dangerous, but in the short time I’d known him, he’d always made me feel safe. I’d even caught him smiling once when I held Adam’s baby, Malcolm, on his motorcycle. He had a surprising smile that had warmed me for a brief moment before he sobered again.
But I didn’t know him. Maybe no one did.
He towered above me, waiting for my answer. His broad shoulders blocked the moonlight, but I could still see him perfectly. One perk to being bitten? I had amazing heightened senses now.
So why
“Because you care the least.”
His brow furrowed. “I don’t get it.”
“The others are making me crazy with their worrying. This is tough enough without feeling the fears of six other werewolves pressing on me. I’m an empath, remember?” I gasped and fell to my knees. It felt like someone jammed a hot poker into my abdomen.
Gareth knelt beside me in a flash, but he made no attempt to touch or try to help me to my feet. “If you want to wear those clothes again in the morning, you’d better get them off now.”
If I wasn’t in so much gut-wrenching pain, I might’ve been shocked he just told me to get naked.
“I’ll give you some privacy.” Gareth straightened and took a step back. “I’ll be on the other side of these rocks, waiting for you.”
I couldn’t read people’s thoughts, only emotions, so I didn’t know what my wolf chaperone was thinking but what I felt coming off him surprised me. Almost like he cared. But at the same time, he walked away without even checking over his shoulder to see if I was all right.
Maybe I should’ve let Jason stay behind.
I tried to stand so I could remove my clothes, but my back gave out and I fell on all fours. The pits of Hell couldn’t possibly hurt this much. If I lived through this, I was definitely going to kick a few werewolves, just out of spite.
Bile burned the back of my throat when I heard the wet sound of my joints popping and mutating.
Consumed by the shift, the pain swelled inside of me, so intense I could no longer tell where it came from. I hurt everywhere. My body trembled until I finally toppled over. Lost in the haze of agony, I had no idea how much time had passed. Gradually, the pain stopped. Was I a wolf now? I wanted to look myself over, but my new form wasn’t cooperating. Inside, I frowned. It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t be able to control my body.
The wolf got to her feet and shook out her fur. I felt like a prisoner.
The more I panicked, the more the wolf paced back and forth, tail swishing.
Suddenly it stopped, sniffing the night wind. Deep within the beast, I realized she recognized the scent. Gareth. The wolf turned, and through its eyes I saw a large jet-black male. The moonlight sparkled in his dark eyes.
Her hackles rose, lips pulled back and a growl vibrated through my body…her body. Her fear swamped me. She planted her front feet further apart, ready to launch into an attack.
Gareth yawned, unfazed by our aggression, but he never took his eyes off of us, always alert. He didn’t return the aggression. I reached out mentally to the wolf. I wasn’t sure what I was doing but somehow she relaxed her stance. With a tentative step forward she…we…dipped our head.
I wasn’t a prisoner. We were connecting.
The male wolf chuffed and spun on his heel to run. I took off after him, following his scent even when I couldn’t see him with my eyes. The wolf was fast and agile. I leaped over rocks and dove under the thick brush.
All the scents around me told a story and somehow I could translate it. Like a new instinct I’d never had before. I tracked Gareth with ease.
Okay, Adam was right, this was pretty amazing.
This experience was worth every bit of the pain. I chuckled inwardly. Now I sounded like a new mother who’d just given birth.
Maybe I wouldn’t kick the werewolves after all.
I skidded to a stop when we reached a clearing. Standing at the water’s edge were six more wolves. Big wolves. My beast growled, barring her fangs. Inside, I tried to communicate with the wolf, to tell her this was our Pack. These weren’t enemies.
Gradually her fear dissipated like she understood and trusted my instinct. A large, brown wolf with bright green eyes approached. A silver bullet hung from a leather cord around his neck. It had to be Adam. I stood my ground as the Alpha circled me, sniffling and studying my scent. Witnessing the ritual, I realized I was trying to hold my breath as if I had any control over my lungs. The wolf was in charge now.
Adam came all the way around until he faced me. His ears pricked forward and I lowered my head in a submissive position. He nipped gently at my ear and the wolf yipped. He nudged us with his body toward the Pack behind him. We’d been accepted.
The wolves ran into the forest, and I raced after them. As a team, the Pack hunted rabbits and a deer. My
